Cruelty Free September Favorites ~ Anastasia, Charlotte Tilbury, Herbivore & More

Not only am I shocked and horrified that it’s already October, but I managed to spot some Christmas merch at the grocery store today! ? Yes folks! September has come to a shockingly fast close, which means it’s time for another Cruelty Free Favorites post! I don’t feel like I have a ton of favorites to go over, but I’m sure this will be long as always despite that. ? Instead of me rambling about nothing, let’s get on to me rambling about the products I loved in the month of September! ?

Probably my most favorite find of the month comes from Anastasia Beverly Hills. It is the Stick Foundation, but in one of the contour shades called “Fawn.” I haven’t heard the greatest reviews about these sticks when used as foundation, but for contouring? Perfection! 🙂 I’m not typically a huge fan of contouring, but if I can quickly draw something on and easily blend it out, I’m in! That is exactly how this works. You may remember I talked about the Smashbox Contour Stick a while back, but wanted a replacement because I’m not 100% comfortable with Smashbox’s animal testing statement (check it all out here). The Anastasia Contour Stick in “Fawn” is the perfect solution! It’s not overly creamy (which may be why it’s not getting the best reviews as a foundation) so it draws on with precision without melting too easily on the skin, yet it still blends with amazing ease. It’s just the perfect consistency. It also doesn’t really dry down and become unworkable. I drew this on one day and somehow forgot to blend it out before heading to chat with my mom. She never questioned the weird streaks of brown on my cheeks. Thanks a lot mom! ? When I noticed my faux paus, I quickly blended the smears of contour stick in with no trouble whatsoever. It seems to stay put despite remaining blendable for ages after applying. It’s wonderful! But that’s not my favorite part…!

I really love the Anastasia Stick Foundation for contouring my nose. I have tried contouring my nose with quite a few different products before and never noticed a positive difference. To be fair, I’ve never been that unhappy with my nose anyway so I haven’t been overly eager to reshape it despite its large size ? For some reason right after buying this lovely stick, I decided to run it down the sides of my nose and across the tip. Oh my goodness! What a difference! Never have I noticed such a difference from contouring my nose and I have been loving the way it looks! Obviously I blend it out after drawing it on, and it blends just as easily without blending away. I’m not sure how or why, but the shape and consistency of this lovely stick works really well on the nose. I use just the edge of the stick to draw on thin lines and blend with a small stippling brush. If you’ve been looking for a good cream contouring stick that’s user friendly and pretty much goof-proof, I highly recommend trying the Anastasia Beverly Hills Stick Foundation!

Another pretty constant stand by in my makeup arsenal has been one of the Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips Matte Revolution Lipsticks in the shade “Secret Salma.” I’ve declared my love for these lipsticks before (in case you missed it, here ya go!), but this shade is relatively new to me. Well I actually purchased it a while ago, but it seemed better for autumn. Since I’m trying to embrace the chill in the air, I thought it a great time to pull this little beauty out and it’s been my perfect every day kind of shade. ? The lipstick formula itself is probably one of the most comfortable matte lipsticks I have found – not drying, doesn’t settle into cracks, is really comfortable and has decent lasting power. I suppose I’d describe the shade as a dusty mauve, but it has a slight brightness to it at the same time that helps liven up my face. So great formula and great every day shade makes for a winner in my book! ?

I have an oldie but goodie and then I’m finished with makeup. It is the Kevyn Aucoin The Celestial Powder in the shade “Candlelight.” This is just a perfect day to day powder highlighter…assuming you consider highlighter a daily thing. ? It’s just that perfect level of natural glow without being glittery, metallic, or just in-your-face. It looks natural and believable. I wouldn’t say that the color itself is all the special – it’s just a champagne shade, but the glow it produces lends that “lit from within” glow that I think we’re all after. The powder isn’t detectable on the skin either so people will definitely wonder what’s causing that amazing healthy glow. ? The Celestial Powder is perfection in a tiny little compact.

On to a skin care gem that I recently reviewed so no need for great detail here. I have been back to using my Herbivore Blue Tansy AHA + BHA Resurfacing Clarity Mask (review here) and I forgot just how much I love it! I love the ingredients in that there’s nothing seemingly unnecessary in the simple glass tub. The combination of ingredients also seem promising for clearing, brightening and soothing the skin all at once. Who couldn’t use all of that? ? It’s a really easy mask to apply, it’s not messy or uncomfortable, and my skin looks and feels so much better once I remove it. I mean it’s not working miracles by eliminating all of my skin woes, but the clarity improves, the overall tone is more even and less red, and my skin just looks healthier. Definintely two thumbs up for the Herbivore Blue Tansy Mask!

Last but not least, I have an anti-perspirant. No, not just a deodorant, but a sweat-busting aluminum filled anti-perspirant. I know some people are dead set against aluminum, but having visited a breast surgeon for about ten years now, she has assured me time and again that there is no evidence that there is a link between anti-perspirant and breast cancer. Now that I’ve said that bit, I should tell you what it is! I’m talking about the Certain Dri AM Solid Anti-Perspirant/Deodorant. As far as I know, the brand Certain Dri is the only company that makes a cruelty free anti-perspirant. That fact aside because I have tried them all – cruelty free and not – this seems to be about the only thing that keeps me stink free lately. It definitely doesn’t stop my sweating, but I have yet to meet the anti-perspirant that can. This isn’t the “strongest” formula the company makes either, but the others irritate my armpits. Normally smelly isn’t really an issue for me, but for some reason every other anti-perspirant I have tried lately seems to make me stink…and still doesn’t stop the sweat. ? The Certain Dri seems to be helping a tiny bit with the sweat, but definitely has stopped the BO. ? A huge added bonus? It also doesn’t seem to be leaving white marks on my clothing either! ? So no stink, no streaks, and reduced sweat while still cruelty free? I’ll take it…for now! ?

That’s it my dears! Not a whole lot of favorites this month, but some really good finds nonetheless! ? I honestly cannot believe we’re into October already and am so stunned to see Holiday makeup goodies showing up online. Does this terrify anyone else? ? I hope you’ve all had a great September and that even better things await you in October!!! Let us know what some of your favorites have been this month. We’d all love to hear about them! ? Hoping to see you back soon and thank you so much for stopping by!!! ?